On Friday, Interim President Dennis Hefner issued the following statement: “SUNY Fredonia has taken immediate steps to quickly and thoroughly clean up several cooling towers on campus following the discovery of elevated levels of Legionella bacteria found yesterday. We have worked aggressively to eliminate the bacteria from the towers and will continue to monitor them. The campus has no reports of any illnesses and will continue to work swiftly to ensure our entire campus community is protected at all times.”

According to a news release from the college, cooling towers associated with five buildings at SUNY Fredonia showed elevated levels of the bacteria this week. A cooling tower is part of a recirculated water system incorporated into a building’s cooling, industrial, refrigeration, or energy production system. Fredonia’s cooling towers are located on the roofs of their respective buildings. Cooling towers can release Legionella into the air near the tower.

“This does not mean that people will be exposed to the bacteria or become ill,” it was stated in the news release.

College officials noted that in New York state, all owners of cooling towers are required to test their towers routinely for Legionella to assess the effectiveness of routine disinfection and maintenance. SUNY Fredonia has utilized the services of a contractor to conduct those tests.

Steele Hall — 1380 CFU/ml

In accordance with New York State Department of Health’s regulations, any result over 1000 CFU/ml requires public notification, review of cooling tower treatment protocols, and decontamination of the cooling tower.

SUNY Fredonia received sample results on Thursday that showed the levels of concentration in the following cooling towers:

Rockefeller Arts Center- 1000 CFU/ml

Steele Hall — 1380 CFU/ml

University Commons — 1800 CFU/ml

University Commons — 1800 CFU/ml

Maytum Hall — 2780 CFU/ml

Technology Incubator — 7020 CFU/ml

As required by the Department of Health, SUNY Fredonia has performed decontamination of the cooling tower (the towers were drained, cleaned, and refilled), has reviewed the cooling tower treatment protocol, and will retest the cooling tower within 3-7 days, in accordance with regulations. SUNY Fredonia will continue to follow the Department of Health requirements once retest results are received and if the results remain elevated and require further disinfection or decontamination of the cooling tower.

College officials noted that previous test results on the towers showed levels well below 1000 CFU/ml. SUNY Fredonia has asked the contractor to investigate causes for the increased levels.

The cooling towers are not connected to the campus water supply or the HVAC air handling systems, meaning the bacteria was not spread through water or air circulation in the building.

Maytum Hall — 2780 CFU/ml

“Being exposed to legionella bacteria does not mean that you will contract Legionaire’s disease. Legionella is not spread through human contact,” it was stated in the news release.

College officials note that people most at risk are those with a weakened immune system, current or former smokers, those with a chronic lung disease (like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or emphysema), or those over 50 years old. The symptoms are similar to pneumonia symptoms. As always if you are experiencing pneumonia symptoms you should see your physician.

If you have any questions regarding this incident, please feel free to contact the Chautauqua County Health Department at (716)753-4481 for additional information. For information regarding Legionella, visit the NYS Department of Health’s website: www.health.ny.gov/Legionella.

Rockefeller Arts Center- 1000 CFU/ml